Page 13 - Buzzword 41_online

Hunting for the Great

Green Lanes for bumblebees highlights Yellow - #GYBHunt

By Katy Malone, Conservation Officer, Scotland

By Izzy Knight, Fifth Continent Project Trainee Well, what a fantastic response the Trust had to
the Great Big Great Yellow Bumblebee Hunt. It
really has been amazing and we’re so grateful to Photo: Great Yellow bumblebee
everyone who took part in any way. Lots of people (Bombus distinguendus)
sent in photos by email and social media, and we
have looked at each one of them in detail. Even if
they didn’t turn out to be Great Yellow bumblebees
(Bombus distinguendus), we can still record them
so the data is never wasted. Some people took
the trouble to let us know they visited one of our weekly search
squares and didn’t find any, which again is very useful data. 56 photos
We’ll be reviewing all of the records collected at the end of
November, but to date, the Trust has received 56 photos, and submitted
determined six new records of the Great Yellow bumblebee
in Orkney, the Hebrides and Caithness. Although none of the
records this year were from our target squares, they are still
incredibly valuable to the Trust.
One of our target ordnance survey grid squares was NC66, One new
up on the far north coast of Sutherland. Katy, together with re-find of the
volunteers from the North Sutherland Wildlife Group, completed GYB!
a co-ordinated survey (or Bumble Blitz) on a perfect sunny day
in July. Although they didn’t record Great Yellow bumblebees,
they had a great time looking.
On a second Bumble Blitz
at Polin Bay in north-west Six new
Sutherland, volunteers records
were delighted to re-find recorded
Great Yellow bumblebees.
There had been no
records recorded since
2010 so this is a fantastic
result!
This highlights the importance of very high quality habitat for
this rare bumblebee, and the conservation of these special
areas is crucial for its survival.

Photo above: Volunteers in north-west
13
Sutherland at Polin Bay 13